November 2010: Welcome to life on the other side

[bunnygirl80]

Pull up a chair and help yourself to a LARGE glass of wine

Welcome to the dark side the wonderful world of motherhood

quick update whilst i get chance as got lots of things to do whilst DS is asleep.

Our cooled boiled water experiment seems to be working well. Preparing a bottle with 1oz each morning and trying to get DS to consume as much as possible of it throughout that day/night, then doing another bottle for the next 24 hours etc.

He drank the water as good as gold on day 1. Day 2 and today day 3, not so well as he has figured out that water isn't as nice tasting as milk! But he is still taking some of it after each feed and he has been like a different baby. The wind has barely bothered him, he has been trumping for Britain, and possibly Europe!! He has also woken up this morning as a happy baby, eyes open, silently looking at the ceiling, rather than waking up screaming in pain from his wind. It has been so nice to not see him with tears rolling down his face from the pain of the wind.

Also this week, to tackle our other problem of him only sleeping in the daytime if he is on me (literally he will not sleep in the moses basket in the daytime whatsoever!!) we tried a sleeping bag. Massive success and i would recommend them to anyone.

He slept 8 hours non-stop Tues night in it (longest sleep he has ever done!!) and last night did a 5 1/2 hour sleep followed by a 4 hour sleep till 9am, then had a "nap" from 11am to 2.24pm and he is now asleep again :)

I must stress he has always slept well at night, but the new thing is that both nights, he slept through the middle of the night nappy change!! (on the 8 hour stint, we tried to wake him as was concerned that he needed a feed but he would not wake, so we changed nappy thinking that would wake him and he still slept soundly!!) Not sure how normal this is, but we are amazed by how the sleeping bag has affected him, and will be buying a few more!!

Oh and i remember someone saying about babies needing to be a certain weight to use them. The go go bags from merinokids.com don't have a minimum weight, they actually say they are good for low weight/premature babies, and one size lasts from newborn to 2 years. Sound fab so although they are a bit pricy, you don't need many, as don't need a summer and a winter one, so worth it in my opinion! (not that weight is an issue for DS, he must be over 12lb by now lol).

mumcha that sounds awful. Hope they manage to fix the water supply soon.

sarahbuff how are you finding the cloth nappies? I've started William in his during daytimes only and they seem to be working really well - they're definitely far superior to disposables for protecting against poo explosions Not sure whether we'll ever use them at night as I'm too lazy to change him every time he's wet.

loopy glad your water plan is working. Interesting what you say about the sleeping bag- William can't sleep in his because he repeatedly hits himself in the face and wakes up unless he has his arms tightly swaddled. I suppose it just goes to show how all babies are different and have their own little personalities from a very early age

We've had a couple of breakthroughs of our own over the last 2 days. After having to BF using nipple shields for the last few weeks, due to Will's mouth being too small to latch onto my flat nipples, and them him being able to latch but the flow being too fast and choking him we've managed all daytime feeds completely shield free Still using them at night as he still gulps down a fair bit of air when he feeds directly from me, and I don't want him to be kept up all night with wind.

He's also started wanting to self settle. The past few days he's been waking when we put him down for daytime naps, resettling when he's picked up and then waking as soon as he's put down again This morning I put him down for his nap in his pram, put the canopy up and a muslin over the front so he couldn't see out, and pushed it back and forth for about 2 mins. Result......one sound asleep baby for the next 2 hours. Managed to repeat the performance for his next nap and he's been down for 3 hours I think the constant picking up and putting down may have been what was waking him

Had my 6 week check at the obstetrician yesterday - she was very impressed with my pelvic floor....apparantly it's as good as she'd expect from someone who'd never given birth It felt like the end of an era being discharged after seeing her so regularly over the last 10 months. Makes me want to have number 2 just so I can go back again

Sounds like things are going really well for you bunny! Skye was 6 weeks on Wednesday so I assume I should be getting an appointment soon for my check but haven't heard anything yet. The cloth nappies are fantastic, we are using them all the time now, I haven't used a disposable for several weeks. Skye doesn't do poos in the night anymore though and her daytime nappies are mostly just wet with one or two poos a day. At night I tend to change her right before I go to sleep, usually around 10:30 or 11pm which unfortunately guarantees she'll wake up but at least it also means she gets a last feed in and the last few nights she has been sleeping through til 7:30 from that last feed. I've had no trouble with the cloth at night, I just change her first thing in the morning and obviously it is quite a wet one but never leaks. We are using tots bots with a waterproof cover and the occasional stuffable (I think they are wonderoos can't remember, made by wonderworks).

Oh god mumcha what a nightmare. Fingers crossed they get it resolved soon.

comtessa I haven't seen anyone answer your expressing question yet. In my (limited) experience I was told to pump for 15 minutes after each feed. I saw your thread about cs recovery so it might be worth starting one asking for help on getting your supply up (tiktok seems to be the lady you need, but I received fantastic help from several ladies when looking for help to move back to breast when Norry had his tongue tie snipped}. We were also mixed feeding but we've managed to get sufficient weight gain now without having to do formula top ups.

Sorry to hear you're feeling so rough still though. It sounds like the only thing you can do is take it easy. Do you think Anya's weight could have something to do with it? Maybe limit lifting of her for a while if that's at all possible?

cardi I was saying the same as you a couple of weeks ago but over the last two weeks bf has suddenly got a lot easier (8 weeks now, but only 6 bf). That's not to say there aren't difficult days but I'm no longer routinely ending up in tears because I couldn't take the marathon sessions any more. I even realised yesterday that I was actually enjoying it! Norry's busy trying to pull my nipple off at the moment though so the enjoyment is a little lacking this morning

Hope you all have lovely evenings tonight and get 2011 off to a good start.

Sorry to hear of your situation Mumcha. I hope things get sorted out soon for you!!

Comtessa I had a C-section, you just need to take it easy. I found that after being at home for about 2 weeks with lots of rest I was fine. I don't know whether that is a particularly quick recovery? 8 weeks on and my wounds are completely healed and fading already, still waiting for a majority of the swelling to go down though!! I used arnica tablets which seemed to help speed up the fading of bruises. I did get exhausted in terms of going up and down stairs etc. But as I said, take it easy!!! In terms of increasing your milk flow, I think it does help if you express and feed as much as possible. I feed Aiden whenever he is hungry and I have tons of milk, mind I had plenty before he was born so I think I just produce a lot of milk anyway. Your milk will come in, it can just take time, just relax and try to enjoy breastfeeding, I love the time me and Aiden spend together when feeding!!

Aiden is still doing well, think he has put on quite a bit more weight, will be taking him to the baby clinic for a weigh in next week... No colds here as of yet, hope the germs stay away!!!

Hope everyone is well and have a fab new years!!! x x x

comtessa, fenugreek supplements? There's also a traditional Chinese soup tt new moms take to encourage/boost milk production - green papaya and fish/pork/chx soup. Let me know if u want the recipe.

kiwi, hope the docs sort Georgia out n she isn't in too much pain.

mumcha hope the water situation improves soon!

Happy belated bday lainey!

K is growing like a weed. Didn't realise until visited friend with 3 day old son who feels tiny compared to her! Also had to retire some of her newborn outfits cos she's too tall to fit.

She's also developed what I call stinkear. Hv tried cleaning the outside of her ear w cotton buds n got some gunk out but the smell is still there. She's nt in pain nor feverish so doesn't seem like ear infection, n I clean behind her ear n the creases of her neck so it's not 'milk cheese' developing there either.

She's outgrown the basket but her cot won't be delivered till 2nd wk jan so she's been co-sleeping in our bed till then. Still doesn't sleep thru the night though. Sleeps 11pm-10am with 2 feeds in between.

Forgot to add, happy new year everyone! May 2011 bring you health happiness wealth n everything elseyiur hearts desire!

Hi all - not been around (toddler with D&V - yay for a working washing machine; snot-ridden baby - yay for saline drops; rellies visiting all over the place; yay for... erm ... ? :o)

Hope everyone who has been under the weather is better soon!

And just popping by to add another happy new year! :)

:( sorry to hear you are dealing with d&v, snottiness and relatives all at once, llanb! Surely d&v would keep them away?? We were supposed to visit family today but we've postponed as DCs have been ill and still recovering so dont want to make the drive just yet.

Skye has come out in eczema all over her face and shoulders this past week so sadly I've had to give up dairy as I suspect it is the culprit. :(. All that gorgeous Christmas chocolate in the cupboard... sigh DH has been nobly scoffing my ferrero rocher for me lest it go to waste...

Hope everyone had a safe fun New Year, I went to bed as soon as Skye was asleep!

Happy New Year everyone! My new years resolution is to stop using the fact I'm so shattered as an excuse and play with the kids more.

Happy new year everyone.

My new year's resolution? Umm... Lose the pg weight I suppose and keep in better contact with family and friends who are far away (that'll be nearly all of them then :) )

Happy New Year to all. At midnight I was changing Anya's nappy so I could go to sleep immediately after as DH had insisted on staying up to see in the New Year. It's all glamour in the Comtessa household...

SarahBuff That's very noble of your DH to 'help' you with your Ferrero Rocher. I stand by as a willing volunteer should he be unable to finish the job.

NY resolutions:

• Get back to ideal weight and fitness, obviously (2st down, 2.5st to go - loving the BF weightloss).
• Enjoy every minute with Anya as I should probably start job-hunting, at least part-time, by the end of 2011.
• Do OU post-grad certificate

Just out of interest, how is everyone feeling emotionally now? I seem to be in tears most days but I wouldn't say I'm unhappy as just so in love with LO. Was feeding her on sofa the other day and started crying because I just couldn't believe how much I love her.

However a lot of the other tears have related to feeling stressed over in-laws. They're not staying with us but they have been staying in same city for 2 months now. Usually get on fine with them, better than fine, but somehow I'm just not coping with them here and I've been looking forward to them going back to the US for weeks now. They're not even at the house everyday or anything, but when they are here I just want to take Anya and hide away upstairs with her - is this a normal way to feel about in-laws post-birth? It's affecting my relationship with DH now as he's only child and it's not much fun for him to feel that I don't want to be around his parents right now. They've done loads for us, like bought and built our new wardrobe, put up blinds (new house) and brought lots of things for LO. I feel so horrible and ungrateful but I can't seem to stop feeling negative towards them.

Comtessa, I think how you're feeling is very normal! It's a big life change, we're knackered, hormonal and it's just unfortunate for your poor in-laws that they are there for you to take your irritability out on! Dh and I had the biggest row the other day, and we never argue, I cried for about 5 hours solid . He's taken Dd1 and Ds to his Mum's today, I've stayed home with Lottie because I just know I'll be irrationally irritated by the poor woman. Hopefully we'll be back to our more rational selves soon .

On an up note, Lottie poo'd in the bath last night, whilst Dh was in there with her, evil .

Yes I'm pretty emotional still! Spent run up to midnight last night in tears as don't want another year to go past, as it meant we're just getting older and closer to dying! I've been a bit morbid recently! Not depressed, just feels like things are so good something must go wrong soon.

The champagne probably didn't help.. Anyone else breastfeeding and boozing? I didn't have too much, well half a bottle, but waited til DD asleep, she's fairly predictable now, asleep by 11 then sleeps til 6 or 7 si I reckon I'm alright for a few units!

She has finally passed her birthweight too, at 4.5 weeks. About time! 9lb 8 now.

Happy new year!

We had bubbly too privet, I was bf with glass in hand at one point! Only had a couple of units and it didn't seem to have any effect on baby, not sure how much / how fast if gets into milk tho

I had a major sobbing session too, really stupid, she's been bought and given so much clothing theres nothing left for me to get her. Know I should be grateful we don't have to spend lots but feel a bit cheated all the same

Hope everyone is enjoying the new year xx

happy new year everyone .well im getting water for 3hrs a day now which is not much use.Oliver has developed a cold as when the water is off we cant use are heating fs so for 21 hrs all we have is a wee electric heater in the living room .

Glad you have some water but no heating sounds no fun :(

Re bubbly - I'm sure I read somewhere (MN perhaps?) that no alcohol gets into your milk until you are above the drinkdrive limit... Could be completely wrong though!

Sorry things are still not back to normal mumcha! :(

Re: alcohol I think it goes into your bloodstream fairly quickly but dissipates quickly (2 hours). This means you don't have to pump and dump. I've had a few drinks (half glass of baileys with milk added to it, half a glass of cider another night), it didn't appear to affect Skye, but I certainly hadn't had enough to feel affected myself. However, I wouldn't feel comfortable drinking any more than that unless I could be sure she wasn't going to feed within 2 hours...

I think a tiny percentage of whatever you drink gets in to the milk, there's no cut off. But you'd have to drink a lot to even get your milk up to the percentage that gripe water was until just a few years ago.

Happy New Year everyone.

Have done best to read the past 2 weeks posts but have only skimmed.

bOOkworm hope J is well on the way to being better now. How scary for you all.

mumcha I cannot imagine how difficult it must be for you/anyone with a new baby and now water or heating. Really hope it gets back to normal for you soon.

comtessa totally get your IL emotions! When the DTs arrived, my ILs were with us and they had been a huge help (well MIL had) in the lead up as I simply couldn't walk. But when we got home with the DTs and the first person I saw in my home was FIL, it took all my strength to say GET OUT NOW. I only wanted to be with my boys and my DH. And over the next 4 days whilst they were with us, although it was useful having those extra pairs of hands at times, I would use BF to just hide upstairs from them. Completely normal I think to just want your LO and your DH to yourself. How much longer will they be with you?

Re weight loss, I was gutted to find I had put 4lb on over Xmas so am, as of today, on a diet and exercise programme! One stone and now 4lb to go.

On the other foot however, the DTs are piling it on. I put all the new born and tiny baby stuff away yesterday and they are now into their 0-3 month stuff. At 8 weeks. They are both about 10lb now. I guess its jabs for them in the next week or so.

Hello and happy new year!

Just had time to skim the thread

Vvix thanks for birthday wishes, had lovely day. Spent 6 hours out with just dp while Finn was with his nana. Was very strange and spent most of the time thinking about him, but was lovely for me and dp to be 'normal' again for a bit. It's likely the only chance we'll get to do anything as a couple until we move near to in laws in march.

comtessa totally with you on the emotional one. I honestly thought it would just last a few days but have been regularly breaking down and crying for hours over nothing/everything.

Llandb - hope the illness clears up soon

mumcha glad to hear you have a t least got water, Any idea when you can get your heating back on?

Still full of cold here developed horrid cough. Sadly Finn has it too and it's making me worried. He is crying when he coughs sometimes, and mid feed when being burped he will make a really loud gagging type noise with the burp, then sometimes projectile vomit which will be full of mucus.

Is this normal? Think will take him to doctors tomorrow but don't want to seem like paranoid first time mum. I haven't registered him there yet ( was on list for this week) will they still see him?

Hope everyone else is ok. I have started shunning lemsip in favor of baileys and hot choccie, not good for the waistline tho!

Sorry for typos etc, blaming my néw iPad and idts mystical overtyping properties

Hi Lainey, Skye just got over a nasty cough, she did the exact same thing gagging and vomiting some which she never normally did before. The reason is because she wasn't used to the sensation of something solid (mucus) in the back if her mouth/top of throat so was gagging, but not choking. If Finn is otherwise ok and not struggling to breathe in any way I wouldn't worry about it. The mucus is probably coming from his nasal passages into his throat so causing him to gag. At least he's getting rid of some of it! :)

comtessa I cry most nights when I do Will's night feeds as I still can't believe I made such a perfect little person or that I could ever love someone so much. (In fact am now crying after typing that )

I'm with you on the in laws front - they've been here 2 months and they're not going back to the UK until March. Quite frankly I can't wait for them to go back now. Am somewhat over MILs assertions that she knows that William is NOT crying and trying to latch onto my chest because he is hungry, what he is actually communicating is that he wants a cuddle with nana I can't sit back and watch my starving child scream any longer while she tries to play with him - next time it happens words will be had. Can't even hide in the bedroom to BF as yesterday she followed me up there, stood and watched and grabbed Will off me as soon as he delatched himself.

I won't even start on the "he's 6 weeks, he can't want to feed more than every 4 hours so just give him some water if he cries before that" debate.

Privet I'm BFing and boozing (see above for the reason I've had to turn to drink ) I was told it takes about 2 hours for one unit of alcohol to be removed from your milk, but I don't know how accurate that is.

On a couple of occasions I've mistimed it and Will's fed quite soon after I've finished a large glass of wine, and he was really fussy and unsettled after. I've now started giving him a bottle of EBM if he wants a feed sooner than 2 hours after I've finished a drink

I was given champagne with my dinner in hospital so obviously the medical profession over here aren't that concerned about BFing and alcohol

lainey my iPads the same! Do let me know if you figure out how to turn the stupid predictive thing off!

bunny your MIL sounds a nightmare! Poor you :( hope they go asap and leave you in peace

Today got off to a bad start here, DH is on call and got called out at 2am, came home at 3.30 and got called out again at 6am :(
Then when I got up at eight to change Annabels nappy there was major leakage which meant bathing her and throwing all her clothes, sleeping bag etc in the washing machine. Hopefully the day will improve now and we might get a nap later!